If this is your first visit, be sure to
check out the FAQ by clicking the
link above. You may have to register
before you can post: click the register link above to proceed. To start viewing messages,
select the forum that you want to visit from the selection below.

Official CBA Updates Thread..3/3 Update - Deadline extended 24 hours!

With the CBA at the forefront of all NFL talk right now, this seemed like a good time to make an official thread so we can all stay on top of what's going on.

A second day of negotiations in Washington between the NFL and NFL Players Association has been canceled, according to a source with knowledge of the situation.
The sides, working to reach agreement on a new collective bargaining agreement by March 3, when the current CBA expires, canceled Thursday's planned talks after an extended session Wednesday.

The sides met Saturday in Dallas, and future talks are planned. Such setbacks are not out of the norm, but hopes of building momentum through multiple sessions this week will not be met.
Neither side would comment on what was discussed or how fruitful the talks were in Wednesday's session.

NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell said Sunday morning that this past weekend's bargaining session with the players' union in Dallas was "beneficial."
In an interview with "Fox News Sunday" that aired the morning of Super Bowl XLV, Goodell called drug testing a key issue in labor talks.
Goodell said "a number of" individual players and owners participated in a two-hour meeting Saturday, the first formal bargaining session since Nov. 22.
"It's always a positive when both parties are talking," Goodell said.
Outlining major sticking points, Goodell talked about revenue division, rookie salaries and benefits for retired players.
"We want to continue on with the integrity of the game, which is my No. 1 issue," Goodell said, adding the league wants to make sure "we have the best drug program in sports."

The NFL and NFL Players Association issued a joint statement following Saturday's session at a Dallas hotel.

"The NFL and NFL Players Association met for two hours today in a continuing effort to narrow the differences and reach a fair agreement that will benefit the players, teams and fans," the statement read. "We plan to increase the number, length and intensity of bargaining sessions so that we can reach agreement before the (March 3) expiration of the current CBA."
The union has said it expects owners to lock out players if a new CBA isn't reached by the deadline.
Among the major issues are how to divide about $9 billion in annual revenues; the owners' push to expand the regular season from 16 games to 18 while reducing the preseason by two games; a rookie wage scale; and benefits for retired players.
The league estimates there would be a cut in gross revenues of $120 million without a new agreement by early March; $350 million if there's no CBA by August, before the preseason starts; $1 billion if no new contract is in place until September. And if regular-season games are lost, the NFL figures the revenue losses would amount to about $400 million per week.

The old deal was agreed to in 2006 and could have been in place until 2012, but owners exercised an opt-out clause in 2008.

Adam Schefter Tweeted last night sighting a source deep inside the NFL that " These CBA talks don't have a chance, the owners don't want to barter. Go away for a month and come back, you won't miss anything"

NFL files labor chargers against NFLPA.......

This is going to get ugly. I don't see any chance of a season with the way things are going.

WASHINGTON -- The NFL filed an unfair labor practice charge against its players' union with the National Labor Relations Board on Monday.
The league's filing says the union "consistently has failed to confer in good faith" during negotiations for a new contract and the union's "conduct amounts to surface bargaining and an anticipatory refusal to bargain."
A statement e-mailed to The Associated Press by union spokesman George Atallah says the NFL's "claim has absolutely no merit."
The NLRB is a federal agency that enforces the nation's labor laws and referees labor-management disputes.
The current collective bargaining agreement expires at the end of the day March 3. The NFL Players Association has said it expects the owners to lock out players; the NFL's filing with the NLRB says that the union wants to "run out the clock" and, essentially, avoid reaching a new CBA so it can decertify and file an antitrust lawsuit.
Players already have voted, team by team, to authorize decertifying their union if a new CBA isn't reached by the deadline.
The NFLPA already decertified in 1989, then returned as a union in 1993, when a contract was reached with the league that provided for free agency. That landmark CBA was renewed or restructured several times since 1993, including in 2006. The owners opted out of that most recent deal in 2008.

WASHINGTON -- The NFL filed an unfair labor practice charge against its players' union with the National Labor Relations Board on Monday.

The league's filing says the union "consistently has failed to confer in good faith" during negotiations for a new contract and the union's "conduct amounts to surface bargaining and an anticipatory refusal to bargain."

A statement e-mailed to The Associated Press by union spokesman George Atallah says the NFL's "claim has absolutely no merit."

The NLRB is a federal agency that enforces the nation's labor laws and referees labor-management disputes.

The current collective bargaining agreement expires at the end of the day March 3. The NFL Players Association has said it expects the owners to lock out players; the NFL's filing with the NLRB says that the union wants to "run out the clock" and, essentially, avoid reaching a new CBA so it can decertify and file an antitrust lawsuit.

Players already have voted, team-by-team, to authorize decertifying their union if a new CBA isn't reached by the deadline.

The NFLPA already decertified in 1989, then returned as a union in 1993, when a contract was reached with the league that provided for free agency. That landmark CBA was renewed or restructured several times since 1993, including in 2006. The owners opted out of that most recent deal in 2008.

Under the heading "Basis of the Charge," the NFL says in yesterday's filing with the NLRB that during current negotiations, the union delayed the scheduling of bargaining sessions; failed to "respond in a timely and/or meaningful manner" to owners' contract proposals; and insisted on "disclosure of financial data to which the NFLPA has no legal right and then suspending negotiations unless and until such data is produced."

The league's filing also accuses the NFLPA of "engaging in other actions demonstrating that the union has approached these negotiations with no intent to reach agreement through good faith collective bargaining."

Atallah's e-mailed statement said: "The players didn't walk out and the players can't lock out. Players want a fair, new and long-term deal. We have offered proposals and solutions on every issue the owners have raised."

The biggest issue separating the sides is how to divide about $9 billion in annual revenues; under the old deal, the owners receive $1 billion off the top, and they want to increase that to $2 billion before players get their share.

Among the other significant points in negotiations: the owners' push to expand the regular season from 16 games to 18 while reducing the preseason by two games; a rookie wage scale; and benefits for retired players.

NFL Notebook: Owners will gather on final day of CBA
Tuesday, February 15, 2011
The Associated Press
NFL owners will meet March 3, the final day of the current collective bargaining agreement.
It is possible the owners will call for a lockout of the players if negotiations with the union are not progressing sufficiently.
All 32 owners are expected to be at the meeting in Fort Lauderdale, Fla., that follows two days of committee meetings that were previously scheduled.
NFLPA executive director DeMaurice Smith repeatedly has said he expects a lockout. Talks broke down last week in Washington.
The owners opted out of the CBA in 2008.
Also, the NFL filed an unfair labor practice charge against the union with the National Labor Relations Board.
The league's filing says the union "consistently has failed to confer in good faith" during negotiations for a new contract and the union's "conduct amounts to surface bargaining and an anticipatory refusal to bargain."
Union spokesman George Atallah said the NFL's "claim has absolutely no merit."
The NLRB is a federal agency that enforces the nation's labor laws and referees labor-management disputes.
The NFL's filing with the NLRB says that the union wants to "run out the clock" and, essentially, avoid reaching a new CBA so it can decertify and file an antitrust lawsuit.
Players already have voted, team by team, to authorize decertifying their union if a new CBA isn't reached by the deadline.

On the Steelers: CBA negotiations play major role
Wednesday, February 16, 2011
By Ed Bouchette, Pittsburgh Post-Gazette

Peter Diana/Post-Gazette
The Steelers could place a franchise tag on linebacker LaMarr Woodley.

The Steelers apparently are standing pat for the most part and will not push to sign any of their top potential free agents before their contracts with the team expire with the end of the NFL's calendar year March 3.

Of the 15 players who could become unrestricted free agents under the old rules of a collective bargaining agreement set to expire at midnight March 3, only one could be found who has had any type of talks about a new contract. That includes their top three free agents to be -- linebacker LaMarr Woodley, cornerback Ike Taylor and offensive tackle Willie Colon.

They have held some "brief talks" for a new contract with offensive tackle Jonathan Scott, according to agent Jordan Woy, but have discussed no numbers. Scott started the final 11 games, including three in the postseason, at left tackle for injured Max Starks. He signed a one-year contract in 2010 as a free agent from Buffalo.
It also is possible they will put the franchise player tag on Woodley before the deadline to do so a week from Thursday. That designation would, under the old rules, guarantee that Woodley plays for the Steelers another season with his salary determined as the average of the top five linebacker salaries in the league in 2010. A year ago, that was $9.68 million and should reach $10 million in 2011. The Steelers did that with Starks in 2009 and were able to sign him to a new long-term contract that June. They would hope to do the same with Woodley, who earned only $550,000 last season, his fourth and the third as their starting left outside linebacker.

The teams, however, do not even know if there will be a franchise tag included when the owners and players agree to a new CBA. Still, teams have been designating franchise players over the past week, and the Steelers may follow suit with Woodley.
Before last year, players could become unrestricted free agents after four seasons, provided their contracts expired. They became restricted free agents after three years. That changed last year when the NFL entered the final year of the CBA as an uncapped year in 2010. Instead of four years needed to become a UFA, it turned to six, and that affected Colon. He lost millions in a potential long-term contract as an unrestricted free agent. Instead, Colon was restricted and signed a one-year tender for $2,198,000, then was lost for the season when his Achilles ruptured in June.

Woodley also was affected monetarily by the uncapped year, in which he earned a salary of $550,000. Under normal circumstances, with one year left on his contract entering 2010, the Steelers would have signed him to a multi-year, multi-million contract extension with a big signing bonus. But because of the rules changes in the final year of the CBA, any new contract would limit salary increases of no more than 30 percent annually, and 30 percent of $550,000 was not in the neighborhood that Woodley had since resided. The alternative was to give him a huge signing bonus but that might have cost anywhere between $25 million and $40 million.

So, Woodley played at a bargain-basement salary and, provided there is a new collective bargaining agreement this year, will make up for lost time either as the Steelers' $10 million franchise player or with a new multi-year contract.
The following are the Steelers free agents, assuming the old rules apply, making players unrestricted after four years and restricted after three:

WASHINGTON -- The NFL filed an unfair labor practice charge against its players' union with the National Labor Relations Board on Monday.

The league's filing says the union "consistently has failed to confer in good faith" during negotiations for a new contract and the union's "conduct amounts to surface bargaining and an anticipatory refusal to bargain."

A statement e-mailed to The Associated Press by union spokesman George Atallah says the NFL's "claim has absolutely no merit."
The NLRB is a federal agency that enforces the nation's labor laws and referees labor-management disputes.

The current collective bargaining agreement expires at the end of the day March 3. The NFL Players Association has said it expects the owners to lock out players; the NFL's filing with the NLRB says that the union wants to "run out the clock" and, essentially, avoid reaching a new CBA so it can decertify and file an antitrust lawsuit.
Players already have voted, team-by-team, to authorize decertifying their union if a new CBA isn't reached by the deadline.

The NFLPA already decertified in 1989, then returned as a union in 1993, when a contract was reached with the league that provided for free agency. That landmark CBA was renewed or restructured several times since 1993, including in 2006. The owners opted out of that most recent deal in 2008.

Under the heading "Basis of the Charge," the NFL says in yesterday's filing with the NLRB that during current negotiations, the union delayed the scheduling of bargaining sessions; failed to "respond in a timely and/or meaningful manner" to owners' contract proposals; and insisted on "disclosure of financial data to which the NFLPA has no legal right and then suspending negotiations unless and until such data is produced."
The league's filing also accuses the NFLPA of "engaging in other actions demonstrating that the union has approached these negotiations with no intent to reach agreement through good faith collective bargaining."

Atallah's e-mailed statement said: "The players didn't walk out and the players can't lock out. Players want a fair, new and long-term deal. We have offered proposals and solutions on every issue the owners have raised."

The biggest issue separating the sides is how to divide about $9 billion in annual revenues; under the old deal, the owners receive $1 billion off the top, and they want to increase that to $2 billion before players get their share.

Among the other significant points in negotiations: the owners' push to expand the regular season from 16 games to 18 while reducing the preseason by two games; a rookie wage scale; and benefits for retired players.

"We need an agreement that both sides can live with and obtain what they need, not simply what they want,” Commissioner Roger Goodell wrote in an op-ed that is appearing in newspapers across the country.
"Today’s collective bargain agreement does not work as it should from the standpoint of the teams,” he continued. “If needed adjustments are made, the NFL will be better for everyone. The first step is making sure a new collective bargaining agreement is more balanced and supports innovation and growth.”
Following is the complete op-ed column:

The time has come to make a deal

By Roger Goodell
One of the best NFL seasons in history is now over. We salute NFL players for their extraordinary talent and we deeply appreciate the tremendous support of the fans.
The hard work to secure the next NFL season must now accelerate in earnest. We are just weeks from the expiration of our collective bargaining agreement. There has been enough rhetoric, litigation and other efforts beyond the negotiating table. It is time for serious negotiations.

The current agreement expires on March 4, and I cannot emphasize enough the importance of reaching agreement by then. If we as a league — the teams and players’ union — fail to fulfill our shared responsibility to the fans and game, everyone will be worse off — players, teams and fans — starting in March.

This is an opportunity to create a better future for the NFL, to improve the game for our fans, and to expand the economic benefits for the players and teams.
Staying with the status quo is not an option. The world has changed for everyone, including the NFL and our fans. We must get better in everything we do.

The union has repeatedly said that it hasn’t asked for anything more and literally wants to continue playing under the existing agreement. That clearly indicates the deal has moved too far in favor of one side. Even the union’s president knows this — as he said on national radio on January 27: “I think what really happened is in 2006 we got such a great deal. I mean, the players got a good deal and the owners felt they got it handed to them.”

We need an agreement that both sides can live with and obtain what they need, not simply what they want.

Today’s collective bargain agreement does not work as it should from the standpoint of the teams. If needed adjustments are made, the NFL will be better for everyone. The first step is making sure a new collective bargaining agreement is more balanced and supports innovation and growth.

The NFL clubs want to move forward, improve the system, and secure the future of the game for the benefit of players, fans and teams.
The status quo means no rookie wage scale and the continuation of outrageous sums paid to many unproven rookies. In 2009, for example, NFL clubs contracted $1.2 billion to 256 drafted rookies with $585 million guaranteed before they had stepped on an NFL field. Instead, we will shift significant parts of that money to proven veterans and retired players.

The status quo means 16 regular-season and four preseason games — even though fans have rejected and dismissed four preseason games at every opportunity. We need to deliver more value to our fans by giving them more of what they want at responsible prices. This can be achieved if we work together and focus on more ways to make the game safer and reduce unnecessary contact during the season and in the off-season.

The status quo means failing to recognize the many costs of financing, building, maintaining and operating stadiums. We need new stadiums in Los Angeles, Minneapolis, San Francisco, Oakland and San Diego; and the ability for more league investment in new technology to improve service to fans in stadiums and at home.
The status quo means players continuing to keep 60 percent of available revenue, in good years or bad, no matter how the national economy or the economics of the league have changed. From 2001 to 2009, player compensation doubled and the teams committed a total of $34 billion to player costs. The NFL is healthy in many respects, but we do not have a healthy business model that can sustain growth.
Companies with far more revenue than the NFL have gone bankrupt because they mismanaged their costs and failed to address their problems before they became a crisis. The NFL has a track record over many decades of making good decisions that have led to unprecedented popularity. Negotiating a fair agreement will result in billions in pay and benefits to current players, improved benefits for retired players, and a sustainable business model for our teams.

The current deal does not secure the best possible future for the game, players, clubs and fans. The next few weeks must be used to negotiate with intensity and purpose so we can reach a fair agreement by March 4. If both sides compromise and give a little, everyone will get a lot, especially the fans.

NEW YORK — Two weeks before a potential lockout, the NFL and its players' union are asking for help in their stalled negotiations.

Both sides agreed Thursday to mediation as they discuss a new collective bargaining agreement. The Federal Mediation and Conciliation Service, an independent U.S. government agency, will oversee talks in Washington beginning today.

After holding separate discussions with representatives from the league and the union, FMCS director George H. Cohen said both sides agreed to have the agency mediate. Mediation is not binding.

"Any time that both sides of negotiations can get together, whether through conventional means of bargaining or mediation, to come to an agreement that can benefit all parties, it is a good thing," NFLPA president Kevin Mawae told The Associated Press in an e-mail.

Negotiations broke down last week, leading to the cancellation of one planned session. The players are expecting the owners to lock them out if the CBA expires March 3 without a new agreement.

"Due to the extreme sensitivity of these negotiations and consistent with the FMCS's long-standing practice, the agency will refrain from any public comment concerning the future schedule and/or the status of those negotiations until further notice," Cohen said.

NFL spokesman Greg Aiello told The Associated Press in an e-mail: "We are now in mediation."

The league also switched an owners meeting from Fort Lauderdale, Fla., on March 3, to Chantilly, Va., on March 2-3. In a statement, NFLPA spokesman George Atallah said: "The NFLPA has always focused on a fair collective bargaining agreement through negotiations. We hope that this renewed effort, through mediation, will help the players and owners reach a successful deal."

The biggest issue separating the sides is how to divide about $9 billion in annual revenues. Among the other significant points in negotiations: the owners' push to expand the regular season from 16 games to 18 while reducing the preseason by two games; a rookie wage scale; and benefits for retired players. "Our ultimate goal is a new CBA," Atallah wrote yesterday on his Twitter feed. Cohen said in a statement that the negotiations will be conducted "under my auspices." He is no stranger to sports mediation. He was involved in Major League Soccer talks with its players' union and a work stoppage was avoided last year. Cohen also has worked with the players' associations for Major League Baseball, helping end the 1994-95 strike as a consulting attorney, and the NBA, and was an advisor to the NHL players' union before joining the FMCS.

Aiello told The AP the mediation would not have an effect on the NLRB complaint.
Indianapolis Colts owner Jim Irsay recalled the last CBA negotiations in 2006, a deal the owners opted out of in 2008. "Since the last time, things have broken off and guys have gone their separate ways," Irsay said. "I remember that happened the last time and (then-commissioner) Paul Tagliabue ended up texting (union chief) Gene Upshaw and said, 'Why don't we get back together.' So you never know when something positive can happen and something good can get done.
"I don't have a strong anticipation something will get done before (March 3), but I think it's possible."